INTEGRITY IN SPORT Bi-weekly Bulletin 2-15 April 2019 Photos International Olympic Committee INTERPOL is not responsible for the content of these articles. The opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not represent the views of INTERPOL or its employees. INTERPOL Integrity in Sport Bi-Weekly Bulletin 2-15 April 2019 INVESTIGATIONS India UP: 9 arrested for IPL match-fixing, Rs 4 lakh seized Uttar Pradesh police on Tuesday busted a cricket betting syndicate with the arrest of nine persons in Prayagraj. The group was involved in online match-fixing in Indian Premier League matches. Around Rs 4 lakh have been seized from them, said police. "Nine persons from a cricket betting syndicate have been arrested. Rs 3,86,000, 20 mobiles, one laptop and two bikes have been seized from them," Allahabad Senior Superintendent of Police Atul Sharma told media persons. The accused have been identified as Ankit Jaiswal, Nitin Sahu, Mohan Sahu, Vivek Sahu, Navneet Rai, Sintu Kesarvani, Sachin Agreri, Kasar Soni and Ankur Gupta. An FIR has been registered. Further investigation is underway. Source: 10 April 2019, Business Standard Cricket https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/up-9-arrested-for-ipl-match-fixing-rs-4-lakh-seized-119041000245_1.html Indonesia FIFA delegates to visit Jakarta for talks on PSSI problems JAKARTA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Representatives from football's international governing body FIFA will come to Jakarta this week to help address problems within the country's PSSI football association. A letter from FIFA to Indonesia's youth and sport ministry revealed that a joint delegation from FIFA and Asian governing body AFC "will visit Jakarta on April 10 and 11 to help settle scores of problems." Indonesian football has had to deal with several issues lately, including the resignation of PSSI chairman Edy Rahmayadi and a match-fixing scandal that has seen acting PSSI chairman Joko Driyono detained by police, and 15 other officials implicated in the scandal affair. In its letter, FIFA offered to have meetings with top officials from the PSSI and the country's government. Previously, Secretary of Indonesian Youth and Sport Ministry Gatot S. Dewa Broto said that Indonesia would welcome the visit of FIFA representatives and their involvement in seeking to address the problems faced by the PSSI. "We are glad that FIFA is to send delegates for talks with the Indonesian government about the PSSI which is facing difficulties at present," said Gatot. Source: Li Xia, 9 April 2019, Xinhua Football http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-04/09/c_137963265.htm INTERPOL is not responsible for the content of these articles. The opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not represent the views of INTERPOL or its employees. 2 | Page INTERPOL Integrity in Sport Bi-Weekly Bulletin 2-15 April 2019 SENTENCES/SANCTIONS Australia Australian Football Players Receive Bans for Illegal Betting - Five VFL players have received bans of up to three games for gambling breaches - There have been many instances of cheating in Australian football in recent years - Australians lose more money gambling per capita than any other country in the world - Numerous initiatives are in place to try and combat these issues Five players in the Victorian Football League (VFL), as well as a single official have drawn the wrath of the Australian football authorities. The six had breached the betting rules during the league’s 2008 season. They have receive bans of as many as three games for 2019. There is no indication as to how many of the five players were given three-match bans. None of the banned players had previously played in the Australian Football League (AFL). Four of them had used a third-party corporation to use their personal details to operate an online gambling account in their name. This was in violation of the AFL regulations. In a statement, the VFL said: “While they did not personally place any bets, they handed over their personal details and these accounts placed bets on VFL/AFL matches. “All VFL players and officials receive regular gambling education and any player or official who is found to be in breach of VFL rules will be sanctioned accordingly.’’ Both officials and players in the sport are bound by strict rules and regulations involving gambling. Players are not able to place any bets on the league they are part of. But that hasn’t stopped some from violating the rules. The AFL punished four AFL players with sanctions in 2007 for breaking gambling rules. In 2010, six figures from the AFL were found to be in breach of league rules. Among the six were an assistant coach and a goal umpire. In a 2011 betting scandal, one player was fined and another handed an eight-match ban. Also in 2011, an assistant coach for Essendon was banned for 14 matches after he made three bets on games in the AFL, including one game involving his own team. Former AFL player Jake Melksham was fined $10,000 for giving misleading info to investigators who were looking into his betting account’s activity. Australians per capita gamble far more than any other nationality in the world. Their losses per adult in the country equate to about US$1,000 annually. Singapore is a distant second in the world rankings for average losses per capita of US$650. In total, Australians make more than $24bn worth of bets each year. Approximately a third of all Australians gamble online. There is also a substantial illegal gambling market worth about $1.4bn annually. As a result of these high levels of gambling, a number of measures are being taken to decrease gambling dependency. For example, a sports betting integrity unit has been created to try and stamp out match-fixing and other forms of cheating. A lot of high-ranking officials in Australian sports have concerns about the extent of corruption and potential instances of match-fixing. Other moves to combat problem gambling include changes in advertising. A lot of gambling companies have been pushing the boundaries with their advertising campaigns, and have received numerous hefty fines. However, often times the reward of running these campaigns outweighs the size of the ban. Gambling companies are now banned from advertising during live televised sporting events in Australia before a certain hour. However, there have also been calls for a blanket ban on gambling advertising, similar to what is happening in Italy. There is a new policy in place for problem gamblers that allows them to go on a self-exclusion list with financial institutions. This prevents them from depositing funds with any gambling-related platforms. At the moment, while a problem gambler can excuse themselves from a particular online gambling platform, there is nothing to stop them going to a different company to get their gambling fix. The new block on processing payments cuts out the problem on a more fundamental level. Source: Andrew O'Malley, 8 April 2019, Vegas Slots Online https://www.vegasslotsonline.com/news/2019/04/08/australian-football-players-receive-bans-illegal-betting/ INTERPOL is not responsible for the content of these articles. The opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not represent the views of INTERPOL or its employees. 3 | Page INTERPOL Integrity in Sport Bi-Weekly Bulletin 2-15 April 2019 Australia Queensland registered player sanctioned by FFA for betting Football Federation Australia (FFA) has sanctioned a Queensland registered player for betting on football matches, in breach of the FFA National Code of Conduct. The breaches included betting on matches involving his own club, as well as other Football Brisbane Premier League, National Premier League, FFA Cup and A-League matches. FFA has issued a sanction of a $500 fine payable now and an immediate two (2) match suspension. The sanction also includes a further suspended two (2) match suspension, to be triggered immediately in the event of another breach of the Code of Conduct. In determining the sanction, FFA took into account the participant’s immediate cooperation with FFA’s investigation. FFA CEO David Gallop said that this incident served as a timely reminder that all registered football participants are prohibited from betting on football matches. “Protecting the integrity of football is paramount to the reputation of our game. The FIFA Code of Ethics prohibits registered players, coaches, referees and club officials from betting on football matches anywhere in the world,” Gallop said. “The FFA National Code of Conduct serves to protect the integrity of football in Australia and reflects the principles in FIFA’s regulations. While the regulations do not differentiate between placing bets on your own local club or an overseas professional team the integrity risk is much higher when bets are placed on matches that are directly connected to the participant.” The participant has a right of appeal under the Code of Conduct to FFA’s independent Disciplinary and Ethics Committee. The FFA National Code of Conduct contains the following prohibition: BETTING, MATCH-FIXING AND CORRUPTION 4.1 A Member must not engage, directly or indirectly, in: (a) any bet, wager, gamble or any other form of financial speculation where the relevant person stands to win or gain from the win, draw or loss of any Club competing in a Match; (b) the throwing or fixing of a Match; or (c) any conduct or behaviour intended to unfairly affect the result of a Match, including accepting or agreeing to accept any Benefit connected with or relating to the ability of a Member to exercise control over or influence the outcome of a Match so as to bring about a result other than that which would be achieved in a fair contest between the competing teams.